Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

An HMO is a house or flat occupied by three or more tenants, who form two or more households and share amenities (such as bathrooms or kitchens). Some buildings converted into self-contained flats can also be HMOs if they do not meet certain building regulations and more than a third of the flats are rented out.

Houses with three or more storeys and five or more tenants need to have an HMO licence.

Apply

Complete and return our HMO licence application form [364kb]. If you are the landlord, you can nominate someone else to hold the licence for you. We aim to process your application within 12 weeks, but there may be delays at time of peak demand on our service. Please note that we deal with applications in the order that a complete application is received (including all the necessary supporting documents).

C - for landlords who did not licence their property correctly first time round

£1485

£680

You cannot transfer a licence. If you sell your HMO, the new owner will have to apply for a licence of their own.

Exemptions

You can apply for a three-month temporary exemption [225kb] from licensing if you are trying to turn the property into an unlicensable HMO or make sure it complies with the rules. If circumstances change and the property no longer needs a licence, you can write to us and you may get a partial refund.